Not sure what to think..

[bluespence]

I had a Dr appt on Monday with my pain mgmt dr and I asked him what were his long term goals for me and he said he wanted to make sure I continue to function with the least amt of pain and he wants to get me in a daily routine of exercising to help with my pain. I then asked him about people being on pain meds long term and asked if people stay on them for long periods of time or even forever. His response was as follows, typically if people stay on pain meds for more than six months they typically do not get off of them. I said well I have been on pain meds for two years, are you saying I will most likely be on them forever and he said yes. I wasn't expecting that response. I figured he would say he wanted to make a plan to wean me off the meds once the pain was under control or something to that effect. If I am honest with myself, I know I am not ready to get off of them now, but I figured I would get off of them at some point. Now I know I can get off of them on my own, but there is a little part of me that was kinda happy he said what he did. It gives me an excuse to stay on the meds for a long time. However, the other part of me really doesn't know how I feel being on the meds forever. My question is, has anyone else been told this same info from their Dr? Also, what is your response to my post...I would like to hear others insight.

Thank you!!

[scaredmom330]

I have Chaira Malformation among other problems and have been told for years I will always be on pain meds. I take morphine 60 mg 2 x day but have been for awhile and most likely will be increased soon. It is hard to accept that fact but if you have to have them to live and if you don't abuse them, what else are you gonna do? you can't stay in bed or in terrible pain your entire life. so I guess I am saying if you need them, stay on them...if you are abusing them then you need to get off and try some other way to deal with your pain. does that make sense?

[bluespence]

yes, that makes sense...thanks for your response. I do take more than I am supposed to mainly because my tolerance is so high. But I do like how they make me feel. He is going to change my meds with my next script and increase my dose...as long as the dose works I won't take more than I supposed to...

[flmagi]

If your pain can be decreased threw exercise and handled with over the counter meds, there is no reason to stay on opiate based pain meds forever. I can't believe this doctor made this statement, if he feels that you pain issues will decrease in the future. Yes, some people have pain issues that will never go away or will increase with time and these folks may need the pain meds indefinitely. But that doesn't sound like that is the case with you. There are a lot of people on this forum who deal with ongoing pain issues but have chosen to deal with it without opiates. Life on opiates is life in a fog, with a definite decrease in emotions, erratic behavior etc.
I don't think most doctors would agree with your doctor and should you ever need to change doctors, you may be faced with being cut off from the drugs.
Most everyone who uses opiates long term, whether they abuse them or not, will find that their prescribed dose no longer is enough to take care of their pain issues. This is when the trouble starts.
Good luck to you.

[kim715]

My doctor never made mention of me ever getting off the pain meds.In fact any time I would tell him they weren't working effectively,he'd up the dose or suggest something stronger.I was never honest with him that I was abusing them.I have a legitimate medical condition also,thats what got me started on the vicodin in the first place.I could call and make an appointment tomorrow and I'm certain he would write me out a script.I couldn't stand what those pills were doing to my life.They were an obsession.They became my reason for being and EVERYTHING in my life revolved around them,and honestly I began to be in pain again everyday.I was taking at least 20 7.5 mg vicodin a day.I would take 4 at a time,and I was not just in mental pain but physical pain also.Now that I'm totally drug free my pain has decreased and most of the time when it is bad motrin does the trick for me.I can remember when I first came here and would see people say that since they've been off the pain meds their pain is not as bad and I thought they were crazy,but they were right.I do believe there are people who have chronic pain and need to be on something in order to experience quality of life.I think it's up to you.You know what your pain feels like,you know if it's tolerable or not.I guess if I were you I would ask myself are the meds giving me quality of life or taking the quality of life away.For me the answer was the pain meds were taking it away,but we're all different.Good luck to you.All the best...Kim

[bluespence]

my dr has told me that my pain will not ever go away because my condition won't ever get better. I have degenerate arthritis in my spine, neck and shoulder. I have some buldging disks and some narrowing. He just stated that exercise can help, not that it would take it away. I have tried to use OTC meds and they do not touch the pain...so with this info does that change your mind or not. I am not trying to change your mind I just wanted to give you more info and see if that changes anything or not. I like to hear what others have to say, especially people who don't know me...I do  think about what everyone says...thanks again for responding.

[flmagi]

I could only guess that your medical situation is painful, but to what extent it is at this time, only you can tell. While taking pain meds, your bodies own natural pain killers top producing and you're depending solely on pain meds. When you stop taking the pain meds, or their wearing off between doses, your pain will seem intense because you have no natural pain killers active. After stopping pain meds, it takes anywhere from a week to 3 weeks before your body will kick back in, producing it's own. That's why during and after withdrawals the pain is so bad. But a lot of people do find they suddenly have a lot less pain issues than they thought.
So, for you to be able to really know if you need all those opiate pain meds, you'd need to stop them for a while.

[avisg]

Yeah I know lots of doctors say that but even though my doctor wanted me to do long time PM and when I was on the narcotics OTCs would not touch the pain .However when I got off  the pain meds  and started to exercise and started amnio my pain level dropped dramatically. I am glad I did not listen to the doctor that said I would need them long term

[worried878]

unusual statement for a doctor to make cos as a rule they dont want people on pain meds forever..especially without trying all avenues of pain relief..but it sounds like it was what you wanted to hear..so if everyone is happy then I do not see the problem..u r not abusing ur meds and ur doctor is convinced u need them forever so i guess that is your future unless it is not what u want..then it is up to you to change that future..what was the point of this post?

[thorninmyside]

I was just wondering if anyone has had experiences simialr to my curent one.  I had a  microdiskectomy a year ago and have started having alot of pain again.  I have narrowing of the space between my vertabrae and have DDD.  I have had 2 epidurals in the last 2 weeks and am back on Oxycodone 30mg 4xs a  day.  I am getting little or no relief.  I was on 480 mg of Oxycontin a  day back when I herniated my L5/S1 so my doc is concerned my body really puts the opiates away. I successfully titrated off that dose last year on my own so I am not really concerned with addiction but am more concerned why I am not getting any relief of my pain this time around.  Has anyone had this type of issue and how dod your pain get controlled?  I am at the point of tears from the pain in the morning and I wake at night and can't get comfortable enought o get back to sleep.  I think after my next epidural we are going to try traction chiropractics if that is the correct term.  Anyone have any advice/ experiences with it?  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks and I hope you are all feeling better today.

[worried878]

this forum is for people trying to quit narcotics and find other means of pain relief..there is an excellent pain mgt forum on medhelp that can help you more as the focus of this forum is getting off narcotics and not talking about how great they feel nor how you need to continue using them..many feel the need to do this long term for pain relief/or this is their choice/....the pain forum is exactly what ur posts seem to need..help with ur chronic pain and ability to continue using ur narcotics safely..this forum is for those who have admitted they have a problem and have decided to attempt to quit,..many do so sucesssfully..your needs are more adjacent to the pain forum

[worried878]

this post was not directed at you ..but the pain mgt forum can help u much more than we can..some here may be able to relate but pain issues are more openly discussed over on that forum...we merntion it briefly here but the focus of this forum is not pain..altho many are chronic painers..good luck with ur pain and not all abuse their pain meds..just be safe..the pain forum is full of people who can relate with ur problems on a more unbiased opinion as most of us have had a bad time with narcotics and find it hard to recommend them

[bluespence]

it seems my post wasted your time, the reason I posted it here is because I wanted to see what others had to say. I was being honest when I said I do take more meds than I am supposed too and I also admitted that I like how the meds make me feel. This is the exact reason some people don't feel welcomed. If we don't fit into your definition if addicted then we are not supposed to post here. I wanted to hear from others who are addicted and quit. If you read my post more closely you would see that I am not convinced that what the Dr said is the best decision for me. I also stated that his response caught me off guard but then later after thinking about it I realized I felt a little happy that he said it because it would give me an excuse to take meds longer...hmm all this sounds like addicted to me and I have admitted it. I understand that this forum is about addiciton and stopping meds but who cares if the post is a little off topic, why can't we help people with their questions regardless of the topic. You act like I am asking for permission to use and I am not I wanted to hear what people had to say because I am aware that I may be lying to myself about my situation...next time if my post is a waste of your time then don't read it or don't respond. You don't know how many times I get PM about how thankful people are that I spoke my mind. There are a lot of people that feel unwelcomed on this site and it appears that they are right!

[thorninmyside]

OK I am on thats discussion too but I wanted to give bluespense some feedback on his situation as well as ask a ?.  if anyone else does have any advise I would be interested in hearing it.  My question was about pain relief ?  Was I unclear?  I am asking about traction used by chiropractors and if anyone has tried it instead of Oxycontin.

Thanks

[10356]

Hi This forum is for anybody suffering with pain and meds.. Bluespense I to live with pain I could list it but it would be redundant.. I have found the pain to be less then I thought it would.. I now take motrin 800 and it is manageable.. At one time I was taking morphine and my Dr. was also of the opinion that I would be on it for life.. I asked to be put on norcos as they are easier to ween and kick as far as I'm concerned.. I have been clean 3 mo. and can not believe the difference in my mental health.. The difference in my brain is astonishing...
Opiates for long term pain is very risky as the nature of the drug is to build tolerance.. As you have stated you take more then you should then they make it stronger and so on till you are taking Oxy and your life is stolen from you by the very drug that is helping you to live comfortable .. I wish there was a pain med out there I can take.. I have learned if it gives me a buzz I can not use responsible.. I wish you well on your quest as I hope it works out for the best for you... lesa

Thorninmyside I also hope you find the information you are looking for.. Welcome to the forum.. If you post your own thread you will receive more responses and hopefully someone that has been in your position.. I wish you well....

[avisg]

thorn ,
have you checked out the pain mangement forum there are probably many that deal with back issues you probably can get better feedback or start a new thread on here it may  get lost in this thread.

[troubleinohio]

bluespence-- i worry about the issue too (i have same things wrong with me- DDD, arthritis of my entire spine from neck to butt, bulging discs and even scoliosis a little bit according to one x ray) i also have other weird things that hurt too. Im over 200 days clean (woulda been more because i was clean for 90+ days when i had a relapse, so when i got clean again i had to start over counting days again. SO ive technically "served" almost 300 clean days since I found this forum lol) anyhow, my pain has decreased overall since i stopped the meds, but yes I do still have alot of back pain mostly my lower back in L5 S1 where the discs are bulged and there are times when my back does go completely out on me where i cant move, get stuck bent over for days on end in agonizing pain.

anyways my first pain mangment dr. only had me on darvocet for pain. we argued at every appointment - i asking for a stronger drug and more of them and he refusing to do so. Which lead to me seeking OTHER doctors who would give me what i wanted. (ive been on just about everythign at some point--- Tyel 3's, darvocet, vicodin, percocet, ms contin and avinza (morphine), and nubain IV at the hospital a few times)

  I almost got in bad trouble for Dr shopping when i first found this forum. I got flagged by insurance company for obtaining too many narcotics in a span of time from too many different doctors.  Every doctor Ive seen has differing opinons on how long a patient might need to stay on meds but mostly the ones i encountered where very stingy and would never say you need them the rest of your life.  Hope this helps some and good luck to you. I know how bad it ***** to be addicted to the drugs yet need pain relief. I worry that my back will continue to get worse with age and require me to get back on the meds at some point.

[ftblmom]

When people are on  pain meds ligitamently for chronic pain, here is what the doc was talking to me about I can either take something that works everyday and have a better quality of life.  Or still get stuck taking Motrin EVERYDAY same as rx pills but without the actually working part.  The Motrin and and OTC stuff is for MILD pain he said Headachs and simple toothachs and sprains.  Not for the moderate to severe pain, or the sever to excrushiating.  I am Happy I can exercize, Lift weights power walk, play football with my 17 year old,  and I am not just laying on the couch scared to get up to go use the rest room in fear that as I am in the middle of standing up BOOM the back locks up, the knee gives out and then there I am on the floor.  So as for a non addict who is prescribed opiates for the pain I would rather be prescribed them and take them the, right way, then to still have to take pills every day, just the ones that do'nt work for me anyway...ie Motrin, Advil, Tylenol,and Naproxen